File separator



Nov. 3, 1953 E. A. DAHL FILE SEPARATOR Filed Jan. 19, 1951 lrzeai d.

. BY M 5%) aku/A Patented Nov. 3, l5

UNHTED STATES i ATENT OFFICE FILE SEPARATOR Ernest A, ,Dahl, Skokie, 111. Application January 19, 1951, Serial No. 206,886

4 Claims.

This invention is concerned generally with file cabinets, and more particularly, with a separator for use with a drawer of a filing cabinet when a file is removed therefrom.

When a card or a file is removed from amongst a group of similar cards or files in a file drawer, the remaining cards or files tend to fall together so that the proper location of the card or file is quickly lost. Often the person removing a card or file from such a drawer will pull an adjacent card part-way out of the drawer to mark the place. This frequently results in bending or tearing of the second card or file which then must be replaced. Even if the proper position is marked in this way, it is necessary upon reinserting the card or file to move adjacent files apart by hand to make room for the one being reinserted.

This invention contemplates the provision of a separator for use with a file drawer for maintaining adjacent cards or files spread apart at the top so that a card or file which has been removed from its position readily can be reinserted in its proper place. The separator is arranged transversely of a file drawer and is V-shaped in cross-section with a longitudinal slot at the bottom. The card or file which has been removed from the drawer need only be dropped through this slot to be returned to its proper position.

An important object of this invention is the provision of a marker for indicating a predetermined position in a file drawer.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a separator for use with a file drawer for marking a predetermined position in the drawer and maintaining files or cards adjacent this position in spread-apart relation.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a separator for use with a file drawer which maintains adjacent cards or files in spreadapart relation and further facilitates insertion of a card or file between those spread-apart.

A more specific object of this invention is the provision of a separator to be installed temporarily upon the top of an open file drawer with a part of the separator depending into the drawer to maintain adjacent cards or files in spacedapart relation, the separator providing a converging guideway facilitating the insertion of a file between the spaced apart files.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a file drawer showing a separator embodying the principles of my invention in place thereon;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the separator installed in a loosely filled drawer and acting primarily as a marker;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the insertion of a card or file into the drawer;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the separator installed in a tightly packed drawer;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the separator;

Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the separator taken along the line VI-VI of Figure 2; and

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the separator taken along the line VIIVII of Figure 6.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a file drawer 8 of conventional construction having a handle in and of any desirable size. Although such a drawer generally is not entirely withdrawn from a cabinet in which it may be mounted, the drawer has been shown herein for simplicity of illustration as removed from the cabinet.

A plurality of files or cards I2 hereinafter referred to simply as cards are shown arranged in the usual fashion in the drawer 8. In Figures 2 and 3, the cards have been shown in a drawer which is not compactly filed, while in Figure 4, the cards have been shown in a drawer which is rather tightly packed. When a particular card is removed from a file, there is a marked tendency for the cards to either side of the one removed to fall together and obscure the proper position of the removed card.

In order to prevent adjacent cards from falling together and obscuring the proper position of a card which has been removed, I have provided a separator M. The separator preferably is made of a single sheet of material somewhat longer than the width of the file drawer with which it is to be used. The sheet is folded along its longitudinal median line to provide a V- shaped cross-section having inclined sides It and [8. Transverse recesses illustrated as formed by notches 20 and 22 are provided at the bottom of the V-shaped cross-section extending upwardly into the inclined sides I6 and i8 and spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between the sides of the file drawer 8. The notches preferably are slightly wider than the thickness of the side walls of the file drawer 8 in order to facilitate insertion of my separator in a drawer as will be apparent shortly. A longitudinal slot 24 extends between the notches 20 and 22 along the apex 3 of the V. The side walls of the slot 24 preferably are parallel and are spaced apart a sufficient distance to allow passage of one or more cards to be inserted in the file drawer.

When a particular card is removed from among the cards E2 in the drawer 8, my separator 3 is slipped over the top edge of the drawer, the notches 29 and 22 accommodating the side walls of the drawer. The separator extends transversely of the drawer parallel to the cards and extends a suiicient distance below the top of the drawer to prevent the cards on either side of the space 26 from which the card has been removed from falling together, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, or positively to maintain the cards in spread-apart relation as shown in Figure l. When it is desired to reinsert the card it which has been removed, the file clerk need not hunt for the proper space to insert the card and need not force adjacent cards apart with one hand while inserting the card with the other. All that is necessary is to drop the particular card i2 through the slot 21 at the bottom of the separator as shown in euro 3. The converging side walls of he separator readily guide the card into the slot 2 and extreme care need not be exercised by the file clerk.

The separator disclosed herein may be made of any suitable material such as plastic, metal or fiber. Preferably, the separator is made of transparent plastic, either clear or colored. By utilizing clear plastic, it is posslole for the file clerk to read the label on the next card through the wall E2 of the separator so that he is absolutely certain that the card which he is returning is being inserted in the proper position. A separator made of plastic is attractive to the eye and rugged, and furthermore, is readily provided with relatively smooth edges pr ciu .ljury to the hands of the person using the separator.

Although I have spoken of my separator as comprised preferably of a single sheet of maerial, is apparent that the separator could he cons "noted of two or more sheets fastened to gether in any suitable way such as by fasteners, ad esives, or by welding.

Although a particular einbcdi. rent of my invention has been shown and described herein, it is to be understood that this is for illustrative purposes only that my invention is to include all that which falls within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A file drawer adapted to contain a plurality of files and having parallel side walls of predetermined hickness spaced apart a predetermined distance, and a separator comprising an elongated Member having a pair of notches extending upwardly from the bottom, said notches being of substantially the same width as the side walls of said drawer and being spaced apart the predetermined distance the side walls of said drawer are spaced whereby said separator fits across the top of said drawer and depends thereinto to maintain files in spaced-apart relation, said separator having a longitudinal slot extending between said pair of notches to facilitate the insertion of a file in said drawer 2. A file drawer having side walls spaced apart a predetermined distance and of predetermined thickness and containing a plurality of files, a separator comprising a single section of sheet material folded along the longitudinal median line thereof to provide a V-shaped cross-section, said separator having a pair of transverse notches extending upwardly in each side wall from said median line, said notches having a width substantially equal to the thickness of the side walls of said drawer and being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the predetermined distance the side walls of said drawer are spaced whereby said separator fits transversely across said drawer and depends partially therein-to with median line extending only between notches and adapted to receive a file for insertion in said drawer.

3. A file drawer adapted to contain a plurality l files and having parallel walls of predetermined thickness spaced apart a predetermined distance, and a file separator comprising an elongated body member having a pair of recesses extending upwardly from the bottom, said recesses being spaced apart the predetermined distance that the side walls of said drawer are spaced whereby said separator fits across the top of said and depends tliereinto to maintain files in spaced-apart relation, separator having a longitudinal slot extending between pair of recesses to facilitate the insertion of a e in said drawer.

4. A file drawer as claimed in claim 3, wherein the portion of the body member depending into the drawer includes upwardly divergent walls facilitating insertion of a file through the longitudinal slot.

side

ERNEST A. DAEEJ.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 507,388 Rosenthal Oct. 1893 ,209,819 Durnont Dec. 26, 1916 1,558,234 Bunn Oct. 30, 1925 1,884,339 Henschel May 5, i931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 581,356 Great Britain Oct. 9, 1946 

